Jennifer Coolidge was eager to try something different after her acclaimed time on The White Lotus. The role of Tanya, however, worked in her favor for Riff Raff, her new star-studded film. Director Dito Montiel fell in love with The White Lotus and Coolidge’s portrayal of Tanya. So much so that he wanted the actress to come aboard his new dark comedy. “I think he did say he wanted me to do it because he saw The White Lotus and said, ‘I know that lady,’ or whatever,” Coolidge told MovieWeb in a recent interview. “But hopefully, I did something different [from Tanya] because I didn’t see that much of a similarity in the two characters.”
Jennifer Coolidge may be eager for audiences to see her new crime comedy Riff Raff, but like so many other people watching Season 3 of The White Lotus right now, she wants to see Jon Gries’ character, Greg, bite it. “I hope he gets it!” Coolidge beamed in a recent interview with Forbes. “I hope they do something terrible to him.” So do a lot of other viewers.
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Gries has been one of the show’s biggest surprises this season, mostly because fans are still reeling over the death of the character of Tanya, whom Coolidge portrayed for two seasons in the hit show, nabbing two Emmys in the process. This season, “Greg” is going by the name of Gary. But none of us can forget Tanya and Greg’s messy marriage from last season, and how Greg allegedly hired people to kill her. You know the now classic Tanya line: “These gays. They’re trying to murder me!”
From ‘The White Lotus’ to ‘Riff Raff’
Coolidge plays Ruth in Riff Raff, which was written by John Pollono. The character is, in fact, different from Tanya. Let’s just say that outspoken Ruth has plenty of grit and spunk. Ruth finds herself in dire straits when her son, played by Lewis Pullman, goes on the run from crime lords and, in an effort to spare her life, decides to drag her along with him and his pregnant girlfriend (Emanuela Postacchini). The trio arrive at a peaceful cabin in the woods where Ruth’s ex, and former criminal Vincent (Ed Harris), is vacationing with his new family (Gabrielle Union and Miles J. Harvey). Michael Angelo Corvino, Pete Davidson, and Bill Murray costar.
Filled with big twists and splashes of graphic violence, the dark humor hits the mark as the criminals descend upon this mismatched bunch. Coolidge told MovieWeb that she enjoyed her new role and that director Dito Montiel, “had a very specific idea of how he wanted the character to go.” She added:
“And I have to say, he’s a brilliant director. I got incredible guidance from him while we were filming. But he would always tell someone else to tell me what he wanted from me. Yeah. He would pass on these notes in the middle of the scene through someone else. It was very interesting. He didn’t come up and whisper to me. He got someone else to. I’ve never had that before. The messenger just comes…”
Messages appeared to have been loud and clear. Jennifer Coolidge nails the comedy in Riff Raff, which is playing in theaters now. Watch the trailer below.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
